Washing-machine.



0. W. ROBERTS. WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.I0.19I4.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 191W.

Application filed April 10, 1914. Serial No. 830,872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, OWEN W. ROBERTS, a

-\. citiz en of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new .and usefulv Improvement in Washing-Machines, of

i which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in washing machines.

An object of the invention is to provide a Washing machine having a pivotally supported tub and s0 arranged that as the tub is rocked from said to side, the points of pivotal support shift in such a way that the weight of the tub and contents will automatically serve to bring the tub to an easy stop at each end of the movements of oscillation.

lhe invention furthermore consists in the parts and devices and in the novel combinations of the parts and devices herein shown, described or claimed.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification Figure .1. is a side elevation of one form of washing machine embodying my improvements. .Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail vertical section taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is part vertical section, part side elevation showing in detail my improved form of pivotal support for the tub, the relative positions of the parts being the same as when the tub is at rest or in normal position, and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the relative positions of the parts when the tub is near the end of one movement of an oscillation.

In said drawing, the supporting frame is shown as comprising two legs 10, 10 at each end of the machine, only one set being shown in the drawing, each of said legs, having its upper end received in and secured to a bracket 11, it being understood that the legs of the frame are suitably secured together to form a suficiently rigid support.

12 denotes the tub which 15, of substantially oval form in longitudinal cross-section and secured to each end ofthe tub is a bracket 13, which bracket 13, near its lower end is provided with an outwardly extending' pivot or pin 14 which is preferably slightly tapered as indicated at 15. Each bracket 13 is also provided with a rib 16 curved on its under side as shown at 17, the rib being centered with respect to the pivot 14 and extending to either side thereof.

Each bracket 11 is provided with an upwardly extending lug 18 having a vertically elongated slot 19 and in which the pivot 14 projects and is adapted to move up and down. To the rear of the lug 18, each bracket 11 is provided with a horizontal v ledge or shoulder 20 which is directly under.

the inner end of the pivot 14 and the rib 16.

When the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the pivots 14 will rest I upon the ledge or shelf 20 and the pointsof support of the tub are in a vertical plane which passes through the center of weight of the tub and itscontents. As the tub is rocked from side to side by any suitable means such as are commonly employed, the tub will be supported for a part of the time on the pivots 14 but as the oscillating movement is continued, the points ofsupport will be transferred from the pivots 14 to the ribs 16 and consequently the points of sup-' port will travel ,first to one side and then to the other side of said vertical plane and simultaneously therewith the pivots 14 will be lifted within the slots 19 as shown for instance in Fig. 4.

From the preceding description it will be seen that as the tub approaches the limit of its rocking movement in either direction, the points of pivotal support shift away from the line passing through the center of weight of the tub and its contents, which line corresponds to the section line 2-2' shown in Fig. 1. Consequently, the distance betweenthe center of weight and the points of pivotal support becomes automatically greater as the tub approachesthe end of its the same time with the result that the movement of the tub is gradually reduced to zero without any severe shock on the parts. Having been brought to a stop, the

weight of the tub and contents naturally causes the tub to swing in the opposite direction and the above described operation again takes place at the end of the movement in the opposite direction. Stated in another way, the pivotal connections are so designed that the more the tub is shifted from its normal position, the farther away the pivotal points of support move from the center of weight of the tub and contents.

In practice I have found that the arrangement which have shown and described 1 gives extremely good results and jars and shocks on the machine such as have hitherto been an incident of most of the washing machines of the rocking tub type are minimized, thus increasing the life of the machine and without the necessity of using complicated devices or springs to reduce shock.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred embodiment of my improvements, yet it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such changes and modifications are contemthat as the tub is rocked from side to side, the points of support are transferred from said pivots to the ribs, said pivots serving to prevent slipping of the tub in either direction while supported on said ribs, substantially as specified.

2. In a washing machine, a supporting frame having brackets at each end of the tub, a tub located between said brackets and having a bracket secured thereto on each end, each bracket on the frame having a horizontal ledge and each bracket on the tub having an outwardly extending pivot and a rib centered with respect thereto so that as the tub is rocked from side to side,

the points of support are transferred from said pivots to said ribs, said ribs being so constructed that the rocking movement of the tub imparts to said pivots a right line vertical movement, substantially as specified. Signed this 2nd day of April, 1914, in the presence of two witnesses.

OWEN W. ROBERTS. Witnesses:

JOSEPH HARRIS, THOMAS J. OBnmN. 

